Frederik X crowned king of Denmark
Denmark’s prime minister proclaimed Frederik X as King on Sunday after his mother Queen Margrethe II formally signed her abdication, The Independent reported.
The country’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Margrethe stunned the nation on New Year’s Eve when she announced her decision to abdicate after 52 years on the throne, becoming the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily stand down.
Margrethe signed her abdication during a meeting with the government at the Christiansborg Palace, a vast complex in Copenhagen that has been the seat of Danish power for centuries. It now houses the Royal Reception Rooms and Royal Stables as well as the Danish parliament, the prime minister’s office and the Supreme Court.
After the abdication was signed, prime minister Mette Frederiksen proclaimed Frederik king from the balcony of the palace before the cheering crowd of thousands.
Unlike King Charles III’s coronation, the Danish royal household opted for a simple ceremony at Christiansborg Palace.
King Frederik, 55, and his Australian-born wife Mary, left the royal palace at 1235 GMT in a 1958 Rolls-Royce. Margrethe followed by horse carriage a few minutes later to take her final ride as monarch through the streets of the capital.
Ms Frederiksen read the proclamation three times, which is the tradition, as Frederik stood beside her wearing a ceremonial military uniform adorned with medals.
He was then joined on the balcony by the new Queen Mary and the couple’s four children, and the crowd spontaneously sang the national anthem.
“My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow,” Frederik said. “It is a task I have approached all my life.”
It is the custom for each new sovereign to adopt a royal motto as a guiding principle for their reign, and Frederik’s is: “United, committed, for the kingdom of Denmark.”
The abdication will leave Denmark with two queens: Margrethe will keep her title while Frederik’s wife will become Queen Mary. Their eldest son Christian, 18, will become crown prince and heir to the throne.
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